MONTREAL, Sept. 13, 2011 /CNW Telbec/ - The Québec Consortium for Drug
Discovery (CQDM) announces that it has granted $1,9 million in funding
to Professor Sylvain Martel, Director of Polytechnique Montréal's
Nanorobotics Laboratory, for his research project on colorectal cancer
treatment.

When fiction becomes reality

Professor Martel believes that oncologists could one day see their
dreams come true. The ability to precisely target cancerous cells while
avoiding exposing the body's healthy cells to the toxic effects of
drugs will soon be a medical reality, thanks to the research work of
Professor Martel and his team. Known for being the world's first
researcher to have guided a magnetic sphere, in vivo, through an
artery, Professor Martel is once again testing the limits of technology
in his new project to deliver a drug via magnetic resonance. Having
recently succeeded in guiding microcarriers loaded with cancer-fighting
medication into a rabbit's liver, Professor Martel now hopes to apply
the technique in humans within four years to treat colorectal cancer.

Revolutionizing cancer treatment

This time, it is not microcarriers that are used to deliver the drugs to
the tumour site, but bacteria. With a diameter of 2 micrometres, or 25
times smaller than the diameter of a microcarrier, the bacteria have
the advantage of being able to navigate through tiny blood vessels to
reach targets that are inaccessible to microcarriers. The
cancer-fighting drug is placed in a capsule and attached to the
bacteria. An artificial pole is created to attract them to the centre
of the tumour, where they will die after 30 to 40 minutes. The envelope
breaks and the drug is released.

This is not the first discovery for Professor Martel, a true world
leader in the realm of nanorobotics. "I really like to invent, to
create. I don't like doing what's already being done. When nobody
believes in a new idea, I tell myself that it's a project for me. Until
now, all our goals have been reached," he says humbly, a smile on his
face.

Unifying effort

This major project, under Polytechnique's guidance, is the result of
close collaboration with Université de Montréal, McGill University and
Univalor. "It's quite a big challenge to bring together seasoned
researchers from various disciplines and to break through the barriers
and differences in scientific language," explains Professor Martel, who
is leading the project. "Engineering is unfortunately often excluded
from medical research. We forget that it can play key roles in areas
other than traditional engineering fields."

The work of Professor Martel's team and its collaborators is being
carried out in partnership with three pharmaceutical industry giants:
AstraZeneca Canada, Merck Frosst Canada and Pfizer Canada.

"The CQDM is very proud to be associated with Professor Martel's team
for this project," says Diane Gosselin, CQDM Vice-President, Research
and Business Development. "Our funding will help the project go through
all the necessary steps for regulatory approval and the start of
clinical trials."

About Polytechnique Montréal

Founded in 1873, Polytechnique Montréal is one of Canada's leading
engineering teaching and research institutions. It is the largest
engineering university in Québec for the size of its student body and
the scope of its research activities. With over 37,000 graduates,
Polytechnique Montréal has graduated 24% of the current members of the
l'Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. Polytechnique provides training in 14
engineering specialties, has 239 professors and more than 6,900
students. It has an annual operating budget of over $200 million, in
addition to a $72-million research budget.

The Québec Consortium for Drug Discovery (CQDM) is a meeting ground for
all stakeholders in biopharmaceutical research. Its principal mission
is to fund research projects carried out in partnership between the
academic and hospital milieus in the public sector and the
pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the private sector. An
innovative Canadian initiative, the CQDM has a twofold goal: to
accelerate the drug discovery process and to develop safer and more
effective drugs. Project funding is made possible through contributions
from Pfizer Canada, AstraZeneca, Merck, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada)
Ltd., GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly Canada Inc., the Business-Led Networks
of Centres of Excellence (BL-NCE), the Ministère du Développement
Économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation (MDEIE) du Québec and
the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRSQ).